Overhead lighting and acoustical structures



July 3, 1956 G. P. wAKEFELD 2,753,440

OVERHEAD LIGHTING AND ACOUSTICAL. STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 25, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 k [if/2! s n I/) @mf ln \2 I 23 28 INVENTOR. 650865 PMMEF/ELD @Mz/@Aw July 3, 1956 G. P. WAKEFIELD OVERHEAD LIGHTING AND ACOUSTICAL STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 25, 1951 (fig. j

Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

July 3. 1956 G. P. WAKEFr-:LD 2,753,440

OVERHEAD LIGHTING AND ACOUSTICAL STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 25, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Eli:

H Jia-8 INVENTOR.

GEORGE R h/A/fEF/ELD ,iadd

ATTO RNKS.

July 3, 1956l G. P. wAKEFELD 2,753,440

OVERHEAD LIGHTING AND ACOUSTICAL STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 25, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheetl 5 IN VEN TOR.

CEO/ME R h/Ah'F/ELD (3% YlmM A TTOPNEYS United States Patent O 'G OVERHEAD LIGHTING AND ACOUSTICAL STRUCTURES George P. Waltefield, Vermilion, Ohio, assignor to The gal-:ehem Company, vermilion, Ohio, a corporation of hio Application September 25, 19511, Serial No. 248,148

Claims. (Cl. 240-9) The present invention relates generally as indicated to overhead lighting and acoustical structures, and more particularly to certain improvements in the difuser and lighting equipment supporting structures for so-called luminous ceilings wherein light diffusing panels define a substantially continuous ceiling area under the entire or desired part of the ceiling proper of a room space and under a source of illumination, such arrangement of the panels providing a uniform over-all illumination. Luminous ceilings of this general character as such and in combination with low-cost and effective acoustical treatment and light shielding achieved by employing fin-like acoustical baffles as the diifuser panel supports and also air conditioning achieved by utilizing the space or desired portion thereof above the diifusing panels as a plentun chamber or chambers wherefrom or Whereinto air may flow through judiciously located openings through the diffuser ceiling area are disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 93,620, filed May 16, 1949, now Patent No. 2,659,807, and in the copending applications of Herbert L. Beclwith, Serial No. 100,740, filed .l une 22, 1949, now Patent No. 2,659,808, and Carl M. F. Peterson, Serial No. 234,250, filed June 29, 1951.

it is one principal object of this invention to provide overhead lighting and acoustical structures which are of a simplified form s o as to facilitate custom installation according to the ceiling size or portion thereof to be equipped with a luminous ceiling and including, if desired, the aforesaid acoustical and air conditioning features to provide a pleasant total environment as to visual, auditory, respiratory, and personal comfort.

Another object of this invention is to provide an overhead lighting structure (With or Without the aforesaid acoustical and air conditioning features) in which the light difuser supporting framework is carried independently of the lighting equipment components such as wireways, sockets, and illuminators whereby the latter are not subjected to the relatively heavy load of the former.

Another object of this invention is to provide an overhead lighting structure in which the ballasts for tubular fluorescent or like illuminators are carried independently of the wireways so as to eliminate sagging of the wireways or to permit use of lighter weight Wireways than otherwise required if the ballasts were carried thereby.

Another object of this invention is to provide an overhead lighting structure having a unique wiring system whereby a single ballast is Wired to a single terminal block to accommodate a pair of tubular illuminators.

Another object of this invention is to provide an overhead lighting structure in which the light diffusing panel support framework utilizes open Web joists which either are installed in the field or are part of the existing building structure.

Other objects and advantages Will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the 'fatented July 3,

claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

ln said annexed drawings:

Fig. l is a fragnientary perspective View, somewhat diagrannnatic in character, illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the Fig. 1 construction, omitting the light diffusing panels and the supports therefor;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section view taken substantially along the line 3- 3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section view taken substantially along the line /i, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an elevation View, somewhat diagramrnatic in character, of another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 with the panel supports and the light diffusing panels supported thereby omitted;

Figs. 7 9 are cross-section views taken respectively along the lines 7 7, 8-8, and 9-9, Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a cross-section view taken substantially along the line lil il, Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a wiring diagram preferably employed in connection with the overhead lighting structures of Pigs. 1-4 and 5 10.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings and first to the structure illustrated in Pigs. 1-4, there is provided a parallel series of open-web joists 1 either as part of the original building construction supporting the floor 2 or secured directly to the room ceiling 2 of an existing building by any suitable fastening means at the ends thereof and intermediate points, if necessary. As evident, the open Web joists 1 are well adapted for the present installation because they do not noticeably obstruct the passage of light either sidewardly or downwardly, they do not obstruct the flow of air in the event that the space 3 between the ceiling proper 2 and the luminous ceiling 4 constitutes a plenum chamber or chambers for an air conditioning system, and moreover they are light weight and strong so as to firmly support the luminous ceiling 4.

Secured crosswise to the bottom chords 5 of said openl web joists 1, as best shown in Fig. 3, is a parallel series of channels 6, said channels 6 being supported from said open-web joists 1 as by means of joist straps 7 and 8 which st'addle the bottom chords 5 of said joists, the lower Straps 8 being hooked over the top ilanges of said channels. suitable screws 9 and nuts 10 are employed for drawing said joist Straps 7 and 8 into clamping relation to chords 5 of said joists.

The lower edges of each channel o are tlanged as shown in Fig. 3 to t into the hooked edge portions of Straps 11 which are formed with key-hole slots 12 to receive and detachably support headed hanger rods 14, said Straps 11 preferably being locked in place by spot-welding, dimpling, pinching, or other expedient on the respective channels 6 in predetermined spaced relationship according to the width of the light di'lfusing panels 15 to be supported between rows of said banger rods 14. The lower ends of said rods 1d are provided with suitable clamps or formed with books as disclosed in my copending application aforesaid and in the aforesaid Beckwith and Peterson applications, to support therefrom parallel series of panel supports t which are preferably in the form of T-bars to provide ledges 17 upon which the opposite marginal portions of the light dilfusing panels 15' laterally rest. If it be desired to incorporate acoustical features as well as light shielding, said panel supports 16 may be in the form of fin-like ballles comprising, for example, perforated sheet material Casings 13 having bodies of sound-absorbent material 19 disposed therein in spaced relation to the sidewalls.

The light diffusing panels 15 aforesaid are preferably in the form of relatively thin translucent plastic sheets which are corrugated to reduce sag thereof and to provide series of openings along opposite edge portions of said panels for the flow of air between the space 3 above the luminous ceiling 4 defined by said light diffusing panels iS and the room space therebelow. Where said light diffusing panels 15 are of corrugated form as shown, the upstanding webs of said panel supports 16 to which the lower ends of rods 14 are secured also constitute light shields to prevent direct View of the tubular illuminators Zi) from below the luminous ceiling 4.

The foregoing light diffusing panel support structure may be quickly and easily erected especially if the open web joists ll are already in place. To further facilitate installation of this portion of the overhead lighting structure, the straps ll may be pre-assembled in longitudinally spaced relation on the channels 6 whereby all that remains to be done is to clamp said channels 6 to joists 1, to place the rods 14 in straps ll, to secure the panel supports 16 to the lower ends of said rods 14, and to position the panels 15 to laterally rest on the ledges 17 provided by said panel supports ito. Of course, where the luminous ceiling 4 is co-extensive with the ceiling proper 2, the panel supports along opposite sides of the luminous ceiling may be in the form of angles or molding strips secured directly to the sidewalls of the room.

Also fastened directly to the ceiling proper 2 at desired intervals as by means of the screws 21 (see Fig. 4) are parallel rows of ballast-wireway supports 22, each provided with a clamp 23 at one end to support a wireway 24, said wireways 24 having terminal blocks 25 mounted therein and further carrying opposed lamp holders 26 adapted to receive the ends of longitudinally aligned tubular lamps Ztl. The lamps 2d in each row are preferably parallel to the open-web joists 1. The wireways 24 are preferably pre-wired to terminal blocks 25 and as later described in connection with Fig. ll, only one terminal block is required between two successive lamps 20.

The ballasts 27 each designed for accommodating a pair of lamps 2d are secured as by means of screws 23 to every second ballast-wireway support 22, preferably alongside the respective wireway 24, and directly underneath the screw 21 so that the mass thereof is supported directly without overhang or tendency to cause sagging of the elongated wireways 24. When the ballast-wireway supports 22 are made of relatively heavy gauge sheet metal, the clamp ends 23 thereof need not be secured directly to the ceiling proper 2 since they only support a relatively small load. Said ballasts 27 are provided with a flexible conduit 29 at one end connected to the respective Wireways 24 as by conventional co-nduit fittings 39.

Referring now to Fig. ll, and as previously indicated, the wireways 24 and terminal block 25 are pre-Wired with the power leads 31 and 32 connected to two terminals of block 25. Also, the lamp-holders 26 may be pre-wired to said block 25, the adjacent lamp-holders being high voltage lamp-holders and those at the far ends of lamps 29 being shunting or low voltage lamp-holders. With the wireways 24 thus pre-wired, only the four ballast leads 32, 33, 34, and 35 in conduit 29 need be connected to said block 25 whereby field wiring may be quickly accomplished.

Having thus installed the electrical portion of the overhead lighting structure and having made the necessary terminal block connections, the wireways 24 may be closed by a suitable snap-on cover 36 to complete the installation. The light difusing panels 15 may then be laid in place to define a substantially continuous translucent ceiling area 4 spaced beneath the ceiling proper 2 and beneath illumi- 4 natingmeans consisting of the parallel rows of tubular lamps 20.

The structure of Figs. 1-4 is unique in that the lighting and the diffuser support installations are independent whereby to avoid possibility of craft disputes. Since the open-web joists l do not noticcably obstruct the passage of light, uniform, over-all illumination is made possible. Also, since the luminous ceiling 4 conceals the ceiling proper 2, no special finishing of the latter is required and since such luminous ceiling is perforate, air-conditioning ducts may simply lead to the side walls of the space 3 from which and into which air may flow at low velocity to and from all parts of the room space and if desired such space 3 may be partitioned as by securing imperforate sheets to the side of one or more joists l to provide air supply and exhaust chambers. Thus, the foregoing illuminating and ventilating features, taken with the acoustical features atforded by panel supports 16, provide a pleasant total environment.

The overhead lighting and acoustical structure illustrated in Pigs. 5-10 comprises a series of parallel rows of support straps 40 in the form of clamps secured by screws 41 or the like to the ceiling proper 2 and clamped to the top flanges of a corresponding series of downwardly open channels 42 as best shown in Figs. 7-10. These straps 4d are longitudinally adjustable along said channels 42 so that said Straps may be mounted where desired in the ceiling proper and so that said channels may be adjusted lengthwise in the event that the luminous ceiling 4 is not coextensive with the ceiling proper 2 in the direction of the length of said channels. The bottom flanges of said channels 42 have hooked thereon at predeterrnined intervals wireway clamps 43 which support wireways 44- in longitudinally aligned abutting relationship. Said wireways 44 have inturned lower fianges supporting opposed lamp-holders 26 to receive the ends of tubular lamps 29 therein, and snap-on covers 45 serve to close the bottoms of said wireways to support the wires therein.

Each clamp 43 also has mounted thereon as by suitable screw means 49 a bracket 46 formed with a key-hole slot 47 receiving the headed panel support rods 14 centered underneath the lamp-holders 26.

The structure of the luminous and acoustical ceiling suspended from the lower ends of rods 14 is preferably the same as that illustrated in Figs. 1-4 and therefore detail repetition thereof is not deemed necessary. The same numerals as used in Figs. 1-4 are used in Figs. 5-10 to denote like parts.

ln the structure of Pigs. 5-10 the ballasts 27 are secured to every second channel 42 as by means of screws 28 which engage in threaded openings in ballast plates 48 which are fastened as by spot-welding to said channels (see Fig. 10). The ballasts 27 are wired to the terminal blocks 25 as in Fig. 11 whereby one ballast 27 accommodates a pair of endwise adjacent tubular lamps 2%.

If desired, additional rows of tubular lamps 20 may be provided as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5.

As evident, the Fig. 5-10 structure has the same qualities as the Fig. 1-4 structure insofar as illuminating, acoustical, and ventilating features are concerned, and has the further feature that upon installation of the lighting equipment, it is a simple matter to make the dilfuser panel installation by suspending the rods 14 from the brackets 46, securing the panel supports 16 to the lower ends of said rods, and placing the light diifusing panels 15 so as to laterally rest on said supports 16. Here again, as in Pigs. 1 4, craft disputes are avoidcd and the wireways 44 are not required to carry the heavy load of the ballasts 27, the latter being carried by channels 42 which are secured to the ceiling proper 2 through the intermediary of clamps 40.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the present improvements make possible a quick and sturdy mounting of overhead lighting systems wherein the illuminators are disposed above a translucent ceiling area supported in spaced relation below the ceiling proper of a room space and providing a uniform light throughout the room space or desired section thereof.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. An overhcad lighting structure comprising a first series of elongated members secured in parallel spacedapart relation to a room ceiling, longitudinally adjustable clamps on each of said members, a second series of elongated members extending crosswise of said first series of members and suspended by said clamps in desired spacedapart parallel relation, paired series of sockets carried by said second series of members and spaced apart to receive therein the opposite ends of tubular illuminators with the illuminators disposed parallel to said second series of members, and electric wiring in said second series of members electrically interconnecting said paired series of sockets.

2. The lighting structure of claim 1 wherein each row of said second series of members comprises at least two longitudinally aligned sections whose abutting ends are supported by a single longitudinally adjustable clamp on one of said first series of members.

3. The lighting structure of claim 1 wherein brackets, in parallel rows, are carried by said clamps, said brackets being formed to vertically suspend rod-like members in parallel rows centered under said second series of members.

4. The lighting structure of claim 1 wherein said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,483,252 Symmes Feb. 12, 1924 2,342,570 Biller Feb. 22, 1944 2,521,228 Ketelsen Sept. 5, 1950 2,527,031 Rambusch Oct. 24, 1950 2,632,096 Kochale et al Mar. 17, 1953 2,674,686 Harrison Apr. 6, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,277 Great Britain of 1910 OTHER REFERENCES Publication: Benjamin Sky-Glo Louver System, issued May 17, 1948, pp. 501-509.

Publication: Illuminating Engineering for April 1949, pages 221, 222.

Publication: Electrical World, Dec. 3, 1949, pp. 102, 103. 

